New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis exits game with sore left knee

From NBA Twitter and media reports

Dec 15, 2017 7:10 AM ET

Kristaps Porzingis lands awkwardly on a defensive play and is forced to exit the game.

Kristaps Porzingis exited Thursday night's game between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets with a sore left knee and did not return. He appeared to suffer the non-contact injury with 9:34 remaining in the third quarter, at which point he immediately asked to come out of the game while sporting an obvious limp. He left the game with 13 points, four assists and two rebounds in 18 minutes of play.

The Knicks are already are already missing guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who said he will not rush back from what he considers as "serious" stress injury in his left leg. Entering Thursday's game, the Knicks were 14-13, vying to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

"I felt my knee buckle a little bit and I felt a little pain there. So it's more about being cautious," Porzingis said. "I had a little shock pain there and that's it. I honestly don't have any information about what's going on there, but hopefully it's not too serious."

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"I just ran up and down a few times and I felt it wasn't right," he said. "... I felt that I don't have the strength that I want to have. It just didn't feel right."

Porzingis did not return to the game. The team called the injury a sore left knee. It is unclear if Porzingis will have X-rays or an MRI on Friday to further determine the extent of the injury.

"[Team doctors] may look at it and say it's a bump and nothing," Hornacek said. "I don't know."

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It would be difficult for the Knicks to stay afloat without both Hardaway Jr. and Porzingis, though indications late Thursday night were that Porzingis wouldn't miss significant time with the current ailment. He was standing during his postgame interview, which he took as an indication that the injury was not overly significant.

"I should have some bad pain right now but I'm not," said Porzingis, who missed two games earlier this season because of a right ankle sprain. "....It's just them being cautious. [Friday], we'll find out more."